Welcome to our Children's Librarian Picks, where our passionate children's librarians handpick the most delightful, heartwarming, and engaging books for young readers. Happy reading, little bookworms!
Children's Picture Books
The Dress in the Window by Robert Tregoning
One day a boy is walking past a second-hand shop when he sees a dress. It's no ordinary dress - it's glittering, sparking, dazzling, and red. For the boy it's love at first sight. His mum suggests he do some odd jobs to save the necessary money, but what if someone else buys it first? An affirming, uplifting tale about love, acceptance, and being true to yourself.
Beatrice Likes the Dark by April Genevieve Tucholke
Beatrice likes the dark but her sister Roo likes the light, and while neither sister understands the other's preference, they both love each other.
Rain before Rainbows by Smriti Halls
In the midst of the rain, rainbows can be hard to see. But with courage and the help of good friends, there is always a way out of the darkness.
Children's Fiction
Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood
Julia has followed her mum and dad to live on a remote island for the summer - her dad, for work; her mother, on a determined mission to find the elusive Greenland shark. But when her mother's obsession threatens to submerge them all, Julia finds herself on an adventure with dark depths and a lighthouse full of hope.
Once there Was by Kiyash Monsef
Once was, once wasn't... So began the stories Marjan's father told her as a little girl - tales of mythical beasts that filled her with curiosity and wonder: Griffons. Unicorns. Dragons. But Marjan is not a little girl anymore. After her father's sudden death, she is trying to hold it all together: her schoolwork, her friendships and her dad's struggling veterinary practice. But a mysterious visitor soon reveals that Marjan's father was no ordinary vet. The creatures from his stories are real - and he travelled the world to care for them. Stepping into a secret world hidden in plain sight, where magical creatures are bought and sold, treasured and trapped, Marjan must take her father's place. The deeper in she gets, the closer she comes to a shocking truth that will put both humans and beasts in terrible danger.
Adam has found something incredible in a rubbish dump in London. A mysterious, mythical, magical animal. A Tyger. And the tyger is in danger. Adam and his friend Zadie are determined to help, but it isn't just the tyger's life at stake. Their whole world is on the verge of destruction. Can they learn to use their powers before it's too late?
Children's Non-Fiction
Wild Australian Life by Leonard Cronin and Chris Nixon
From a leading expert and talented visual artist comes this celebration of the astounding diversity of Australia's animal kingdom. More than one million animal species make their homes in Australia - from the deepest oceans to the tops of mountains and the harshest deserts. But just how do they survive? Discover the remarkable stories behind some of the world's most extraordinary animals.
Mangō : Sharks and Rays of Aotearoa by Ned Barraud
The oceans surrounding Aotearoa New Zealand are home to over one hundred astonishing and strange species of sharks and rays. This fact-filled book takes you down into the fascinating underwater lives of these expert hunters, illustrates their evolution and explores their place in our culture. And it explains why these ancient fish and their environments need our kaitiakitanga more than ever.
Children's Graphic Novels
Amulet 9 Wave Rider by Kazu Kibuishi
After her confrontation with Ikol, Emily finally understands the stone's power and what she must do to defend Alledia from the shadows. As she travels to Typhon to help her mum and Navin, Prince Trellis returns to the Kingdom of the Elves to save his countrymen - and confront the fraud who has seized power in the absence of a king. The threat of darkness follows all Stonekeepers closely and it will take the strength of both new friends and old foes to conquer it-- and survive.
Astrid & Stella by Eurice & Sabrina Moyle
When the Wi-Fi goes out on the Friend Ship, Astrid and Stella make an emergency landing on the only planet that still has Internet to spare. There, they dive into video game fun until they realize something is terribly wrong - the games have no rules and everything falls into chaos. But this is nothing the dynamic duo can't solve! From there, Astrid and Stella visit planet Wink 40 to find tools to conquer their worst nightmares - nightmares that have kept them (and their trusty assistant, Bobo) up for nights on end. They also take a detour to help an alien neighbor out of a tight spot.
Young Adult Fiction
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child's soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson's eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become. Praise for Jacqueline Woodson: Ms. Woodson writes with a sure understanding of the thoughts of young people, offering a poetic, eloquent narrative that is not simply a story. but a mature exploration of grown-up issues and self-discovery.
Young Adult Graphic Novels
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
Paris, at the dawn of the modern age: Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride--or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia--the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion! Sebastian's secret weapon (and best friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances--one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances dreams of greatness, and being someone's secret weapon means being a secret. Forever. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect a friend?